Deadly Nightshade
by Firestorm Nauralagos
Summary: It starts with the dreams, the dreams that are more realistic than they should be. Then, the Chaos Emeralds begin to disappear. Sonic is positive that Eggman is behind the bizarre happenings, but when he discovers that the doctor is just as clueless as he, Sonic and his friends realize that they have no idea what they're dealing with ... On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1: Pleasant Dreams

_**A/N: **__Hola! This is Revision 3 of Deadly Nightshade, and I'm hoping that it's better than versions 1 and 2. I don't have a lot of experience writing about Sonic the Hedgehog, I'm afraid, so if I get any characterization details or canon details wrong, please tell me. Just don't flame. Flames are bad. _

_Anywho, I hope you like le story, and if you don't, tell me what you didn't like about it. I would much like to improve my writing skills. _

_**Disclaimer:**__ *Holds out a penny* This is all I have! Don't sue me; I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, the characters, or the places anyways! They belong to Sega, but my O.C. belongs to me._

_**Thanks to my beta reader, Darkness78! :)**_

_"I don't need your help." _

_"Are you sure about that? I have skills that you and your precious doctor will find very useful."_

_"I'm sure. I work alone." The dark hedgehog folded his arms and gave the hooded figure a fierce glare. "Don't let me catch you around here again. You aren't wanted." _

_"Have it your way. Don't come crawling back to me when you're in desperate need of assistance, though." She smirked, and then turned back towards the dark forest. "I have a feeling we'll see each other again, Shadow the Hedgehog," she called over her shoulder as her tone became mocking, "…although I'm not certain we'll be on the same side." _

_It seemed funny, the girl in the hood mused, that Shadow had declined her offer of help. It was almost as though he knew what her plans were. _Impossible, _she decided. No one could guess her plans; they were far too well orchestrated. The others, though … they were far more gullible than Shadow and Eggman. A sly grin played on her lips as she silently navigated the forest. She was going to enjoy this. _

As Sonic lay under a willow tree, he grinned. He hadn't felt this peaceful in months; there was always _something _to keep him running: Dr. Eggman and his crazy robots; Shadow, out hunting him for some reason or another; Amy Rose trying to drag him off on a date. For a moment, the blue hedgehog allowed himself to forget all of the troubles from the past few months and focus on the tree. It was a beautiful tree, he realized, and far more complex than just a trunk and a few leaves on branches. The willow's drooping, vine-like branches were thin and flexible; they seemed fragile and weak. However, Sonic knew that they were strong branches. Strong and beautiful.

As the sun shone through the almost braided pattern of leaves, casting a gentle shadow over the blue hedgehog, Sonic felt his eyes growing heavy. _Nothing's happening right now. I can afford a nap, _he decided. He slipped into a deep sleep.

_A field of flowers lay before him; there were thousands of them, and there was every kind he could possibly imagine. They called out to him, whispering his name. Sonic wandered through the field in a kind of a trance, admiring the array of beautiful colors. One flower in particular stood out: a perfect rose that was a shade of pale blue. He felt the strangest urge to pick it, to take it home with him and display it in a vase. A flower of such flawless beauty should be displayed for the entire world to see, not planted here, in a garden high in the mountains. The hedgehog knelt and touched the rose. He ran a finger along one of its delicate blue petals, feeling the soft, velvety texture of it. Ever so carefully, he pulled on the stem, which snapped with a quiet __**crack.**_

_He regretted it instantly: the rose burst into raging, eerily black flames and fell from his hand. Sonic watched in horror as the fire spread to the rest of the flower field. A strange creature in a dark hooded cape stepped through the flames, seeming to appear out of nowhere. It approached Sonic at a steady pace, brushing aside the edge of the cloak to draw a knife from its belt._

_"Who are you?" He shouted, taking a step forwards. Slowly, the creature reached up and threw back its hood, revealing-_

_Tails. Tails held the knife, Tails wore the cloak. With a strange, almost evil grin, the young fox stepped closer to Sonic once again. _

_"Tails, buddy, what are you doing? Why do you have a _knife_?" Sonic asked, feeling relieved upon discovering the hooded figure's identity. With a chuckle, Tails brought the knife down, slicing through Sonic's arm. The blue hedgehog yelled in pain, and he immediately turned and ran. Ran away from Tails- or whoever it was. _

_The cold, cruel laugh echoed through the mountains. No matter how far or fast Sonic ran, he could not escape the words:_

_"You'll never escape me. Not until it's too late." _

With a gasp, Sonic woke, sitting bolt upright. Once again, he felt a sense of relief as he realized that he had been dreaming. There was no burning field of flowers, no deadly blue rose, and no Tails with a knife. He grinned, jumping to his feet.

"Well, if I can't get a decent nap, I might as well go for a run," he decided. Just before he got a chance to start, however, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm and glanced down, expecting to see a pine needle or a bee.

Sonic was bleeding.

_She laughed. It was working already. _


	2. Chapter 2: Mystery

_**A/N: **__For those of you that haven't noticed, I re-wrote chapter one; you may want to read it, since I changed quite a few things.____In this chapter, more of the mystery hedgehog's personality is revealed … _

_**Thanks to my beta reader, Darkness78! :D You are awesome!**_

_She stared into the river. Clear, deep blue water flowed quickly along, distorting her reflection. She sniffed. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. __**"Conspectus mactus coerulus ericius!" **__The magic flowed from the words, creating a silver circle in the water. A blurry scene became visible. Leaning up against a wall was the hedgehog. There were several others in the room as well, each of them a different color. She scoffed. Bright colors weren't becoming in the least; why not have black fur, like her own? Fondly, she glanced over at her own reflection. She was far more beautiful than any of them. _

_Who would be the next target, she wondered? Perhaps the one who believed herself to be more beautiful than the others … no, the pink hedgehog's turn would come later. The strongest member of the group had been attacked, so why not go after the weakest? She smiled. Perfect. The vision was distorted by a stick just as she was about to speak again. The girl in the hood frowned. The magic would be thrown off if the vision wasn't perfectly clear. She would need to find a source of water that was better suited to one of her power. _

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let me get this straight: You dreamed that Tails attacked you with a knife, and when you woke up, you were bleeding?" Amy gaped at him in shock. Sonic nodded.

"No … I would never hurt Sonic …" Tails whispered. Horror was evident in his eyes as he saw the exposed wound.

"I know you wouldn't, Tails, but that doesn't explain how he got this cut!" Vanilla commented as she carefully bandaged the hedgehog's wound. The debating continued. Amy decided that Tails was innocent, but they had to find out how Sonic had gotten the wound in order to protect him. Knuckles angrily insisted that the young fox should be locked away for everyone's safety. Sonic snapped at the echidna for blaming his friend. Vanilla tried to calm everyone, and in the chaos, no one noticed Cream and Cheese, who were hiding behind an armchair, watching the scene unfold with fearful eyes.

"Mother?" The little rabbit whispered. "I'm scared. Are they going to hurt Tails?"

"Oh, no dear! I don't think that they will do anything to Tails. After all, it was only a dream; he didn't _really _attack Sonic!" Vanilla smiled gently, shooting the rest of the room a glare when Cream's back was turned. Ashamed, they all quieted down- making the room perfectly silent for the piercing scream.

"MOMMY!"

"Cream!" The younger girl was lying on her back, screaming in pain.

"It hurts! Make it stop!" She was clutching her head tightly, and Cheese was holding on to one of her arms and wailing, almost as though he, too, could feel the pain. Vanilla was by their side in a second, gently cradling her daughter in her arms.

"Shh, it's okay, Cream. Mother's here. Everything will be fine. Can you tell me where it hurts?" Her voice was calm, but the tone contained a very strained note. She was trying very hard not to scream, as well. Her daughter, however, only continued to sob, refusing to speak or remove her hands from her head. "Cream, dear, what's wrong? Is it a headache?"

The rabbit whimpered once more, and then she was silent. Vanilla gasped in horror, grasping her wrist and feeling for a pulse.

"Is she okay?" Sonic asked, kneeling beside Cream. "Vanilla?" Slowly, the rabbit nodded.

"She has a pulse … she's not awake, though, and her eyes are wide open! Sonic, do you know what's wrong with her?" Slowly, the blue hedgehog shook his head.

"I don't know what's wrong, but I'm gonna find out, and I'll find a cure, too, while I'm at it." He stood and turned to leave. He was just in time to see the last of the black glow fade from Knuckles' claws.

-V-

_She laughed weakly, staring down at the scene. The small pool was encircled by a ring of trees, and only a single, small path was open to her new lair. None would ever sneak up on her. _

_The spell had been genius. She knew so. It had been extremely taxing on her, but she had not only continued with the attack on the rabbit, but also simultaneously conjured a glow around the red hedgehog- or was it echidna? Distrust would be sowed between the group members, and once chaos reigned, she would step in and take what was rightfully hers. For now, though, she needed rest. The hooded girl took two steps from the pool and collapsed. _

-V-

Sonic had immediately punched the echidna in the face.

"Hey! What was that for?" He'd exclaimed, pressing his palm into his bruising eye.

"That was really, really low, Knuckles," the hedgehog growled, glancing back to where Cream was lying.

"_I _didn't do that!"

"There was magic coming from your claws!"

"Yeah, and I have no idea how that got there!"

"You're lying!"

"BE QUIET!" Vanilla yelled over the arguing two. They stared at the rabbit in shock. "My daughter is hurt, and you're shouting at each other like a pair of children! You two had best sort out what happened _quietly _while I take care of Cream. I will be in her bedroom if you come to a decision." She gently picked up her daughter, shooting an angry glare at Sonic and Knuckles as she hurried down the hallway.

The room remained silent.

"So … what are we gonna do?" Amy asked softly.

"Cream would believe Knuckles, and so I do, too," Tails said firmly.

"Says the one who attacked Sonic," Knuckles remarked bitterly.

"It was a _dream, _Knuckles! No one's getting locked up … not right now, anyways. We have to find some way to help Cream, and we also have to find out what's going on." Sonic crossed his arms, leaning back up against the wall as he thought.

"Why don't we split up? That way, we can search faster," Amy suggested. Tails nodded.

"I'll go get the X Tornado." The young fox jumped out of his chair and headed out the door.

"Knuckles, go search on Angel Island. Amy, go to the forest. Tails will go with you; he knows the forest better than anyone." Just then, the fox in question ran back inside.

"Guys! The Chaos Emerald is missing!"

_**A/N: **__Sorry about the dialogue excessiveness; next chapter will have a LOT more prose in it. How'd I do with characterization and the locations? _


End file.
